Practical Training Blog Post by Santeri Pakarinen

My friend and I were tasked by Mesikko to conduct market research on services offered to expatriates. As the company provided nature trips and experiences, they were interested whether market penetration to this field would be a viable expansion for them. For us it was a great opportunity to apply some of the theory we had learned while Mesikko received some preliminary data to decide whether they wanted to keep pursuing this idea.

I interviewed an expatriate family to learn whether they needed such services, and if there were specific needs they would like help with when moving. Based on the interview I formulated some strategies for implementing these services. I also described the company’s market position in their desired field, provided options for both B2C and B2B approaches, as well as researched a possible B2C target group (international students).

In addition to providing the company this data, my friend and I listed specific services that Mesikko could immediately pivot to that incorporated some of their existing nature experience services. If the company wishes to expand to this field, they will be able refer to that research directly for some potential initial steps.

As my first foray into the work involved with my International Business degree, I really enjoyed it. It provided a new and unique challenge that I had not experienced before and I look forward to finding more such challenges.

Author: Santeri Pakarinen